Shiv Sena distances itself from Nawazuddin-Ramleela row

Mumbai, Apr 19: It is important to stay united and have faith in each other to fight the coronavirus pandemic, veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar said on Sunday, expressing concerns over the attack on healthcare workers and cases of communal tension in the country.

In a video shared by Akhtar's wife, veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Twitter, the writer urged people to stand together in this time of crisis.

"The country is undergoing a crisis at this point of time. To fight this crisis called coronavirus, it is important for us to be united. If we will keep suspecting each other or won't understand each other's intentions, there will be no unity, then how will we fight it?

"You must salute these doctors who are endangering their lives to test you. Unless you get tested, you will not know whether you have the disease or not. You can be treated only after that. It's a matter of stupidity that, I've heard, people are pelting stones on those doctors. This should not be done," Akhtar said in the 2 minute-long clip.

The 75-year-old lyricist also said that targeting a particular community defeats the goal of unity.

"I also hear that shops of a particular community are being shut, 'thelas' are being overturned or people are hit so that they can flee. This is not how unity works. We will have to believe each other. We all are citizens of this country," he said.

Akhtar appealed to the Muslim community to offer prayers from home in the holy month of Ramzan, which will begin from April 24 or April 25.

"I request all the Muslim brothers that now that Ramzan is coming, please say your prayers but make sure that this doesn't cause problems to anyone else. The prayers that you do in the mosque, you can do that at home. According to you, the house, the ground, this all has been made by Him. Then you can do your prayers anywhere," he said.

"Ensure that your speech, slogans and deeds don't create any suspicion in the minds of others. And to all the other citizens of the country, I'd say please have faith in each other, practice unity, don't resort to hatred. Only with the help of love and trust, we will be able to fight with the coronavirus," he added.

New Delhi, Mar 25: Actor Priyanka Chopra on Tuesday night through an Instagram Live conversation put forward questions about coronavirus to World Health Organisation (WHO) experts and busted some myths about the global pandemic.

WHO General-Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Technical Lead, were part of the live conversation which Priyanka shared on her Instagram. More than 45,000 fans participated in the session.

"There is so much information circulating about Covid-19. And right now we're all searching for clarity. My friends at @WHO and @glblctzn graciously brought the doctors working on the front lines here to give us answers straight from the experts. Please take some time to watch my IG Live with Dr. Tedros (General-Director at W.H.O.) and Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Technical Lead for Covid-19) from @WHO, who answered some questions that so many of you sent in," Chopra captioned the post.
Bollywood's 'Desi' girl also asked her fans to spread awareness about the disease and tag their friends and family in the post who are looking for answers and action steps.
PC even posted few questions submitted by the general populace and answers to the same on her Instagram story. The first question came from her husband, Nick Jonas, who also joined in on the conversation.

One of the questions was about the latest 21 day lockdown in India. Priyanka and Nick have been in self-isolation for weeks now.

Kolhapur, Feb 21: Voicing against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), renowned lyrics and thinker Javed Akhtar has said that the act was an assault to secularism and integrity of India and with the ongoing protests, the nation had reached a threshold for an another struggle.

Speaking here on Thursday night at an event organised on the 5th death anniversary of CPI senior leader and progressive leader Com Govind Pansare, Mr Akhtar said the newly amended citizenship act was a plot to split the country.

Mr Javed said that communalism has a deep root in India and it spread after the formation of Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League in British India. "Muslim league got Pakistan but Hindu Mahasabha is still unsatisfied," he alleged and added that BJP was now 'working as a branch of RSS' and trying to 'split the country' through NRC.